If there’s one thing the world has learned from Mean Girls, John Tucker Must Die, and HBO’s Euphoria, it’s this: High school is hell. Especially for minorities, the LGBTQ community, and yes, women. But what if the downtrodden and socially ostracized could rise up and teach themselves how to rise to the top of the high school food chain?
That’s the question posited by Emma Seligman’s comedy, Bottoms, an unapologetically queer, feminist and laugh out loud good time that eschews silly notions of logic and realism of the high school experience and instead delivers a wild ride that will have you walking out of the theater feeling good, empowered and ready for a David Fincher marathon.
Socially inept besties PJ (Rachel Sennott, Bodies Bodies Bodies) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri, The Bear) find themselves in hot water after their football worshipping school blames them for attacking star quarterback Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine). Faced with expulsion, the fast talking girls write off the incident as practice for a self defense course, which much to their shock, gets approved, leading PJ and Josie to recruit misfits to justify their fight club, all the while plotting to use the club to hook up with their respective cheerleader crushes.
While Bottoms isn’t going to win any awards for its realistic depiction of society, that’s not the point here. The mile a minute script by Seligman and Sennott is here to entertain and make you laugh, which it will in spades. Punchlines are delivered quickly and frequently, raunchy subject matter is omnipresent and basically every character gets a moment to shine to the point that you’ll find yourself caring in the middle of the laughter.
Sennott and Edebiri are a perfect comedic duo, feeding off each other while also being polar opposites, reflecting more modern friend groups where opposites attract. Havana Rose Liu and Kaia Gerber as the duo’s cheerleader paramours also shine and manage to become fascinating characters as the film goes on, which is refreshing given how crushes are treated in most high school films. The surprising standout, however, is Seattle Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch as Mr. G, a divorced teacher who gets roped into the club and gets some of the film’s most awkward jokes.
Another important element of the film is the way it portrays female empowerment. While fight clubs are by no means the ideal way to take out frustration, the way the film treats its risky subject matter is kind of thoughtful, as the under represented find their voices through the violence. It’s also nice to see queer characters take center stage without homophobia or bad humor targeting the LGBTQ community rearing their ugly heads. This is a surprisingly accepting movie regardless of where the audience falls on the spectrum and it sends a good message- even if that message is layered with F Bombs.
Side Note: Another refreshing thing about the film is its breezy 90 minute runtime, especially given that as we speak, millions are sitting down for three hours to watch a film about Dr. Robert Oppenheimer.
Bottoms will make you laugh, sure, but it will also make you feel good and like you can take on the world. With a great young cast, a strong message and enough jokes to make up for Strays, it’s a wild ride that is worth taking.
Bottoms is now playing in theaters.
